Aging has been defined as an increase in the probability of death. However, aging, per se, is a natural process, not a medical condition. Although aging is by definition accompanied by an eventual physiological decline, it can be readily observed that the rate of progression and the consequences of this process are not necessarily uniform between animal genera and species, and even between and among individual members of an animal species. The rate of physiological decline and the overall health of an individual aging animal appear to reflect the influence of not only ill-defined genetic determinants but also environmental factors.
Animals may be afflicted with one or more conditions that appear to be age-related and that individually and collectively affect the overall health and longevity of the individual animal as it ages. It has been suggested that animals do not die of “healthy aging” but rather they die from these age-related diseases. Illustrative age-related conditions of canines include, inter alia, deterioration of muscle protein, deterioration of cartilage, accumulation of body fat and/or a decrease in lean body mass, deterioration in kidney health, untoward, inappropriate or excessive inflammatory responses, gastrointestinal health conditions and oxidative damage.
Accordingly, there is a need for compositions and methods for treatment and amelioration of those age-associated conditions that would support “healthy aging,” providing the treated animal with a healthier and/or longer life.